


Running to You

by wematch



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew takes care of Neil, Bare Skin, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Running
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 20:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15154892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wematch/pseuds/wematch
Summary: In Columbia, Neil has a nightmare and decides to go run in the middle of the night so Andrew waits for him to come back.





	Running to You

It’s the middle of the night and Neil’s jogging around the block. He’s completely drenched, his breathing is hard, and he doesn’t know how long has passed since he got out to run. While he’s used to running and ignoring the aching pain on his legs from the exercise, he has calmed down enough that he’s ready to run one last mile and get back to the house.

Neil freezes the moment he reaches the house and notices Andrew sitting in the corner of the porch staring right at him. He stays still for a few moments, watching Andrew take a long drag of his cigarette and let out the smoke into the air.

Neil lets out a long breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He had woken up in the middle of the night after a nightmare and the urge to get up and run, to clear his head of his nightmares, was all he could think about at that moment. But the sight of Andrew just waiting for him to come back, to make sure that he does come back, makes his heart skip a beat and he almost has the urge to smile. Almost.

He decides to sit right next to Andrew and steal the cigarette from his hand. He takes another deep breath to let the familiar scent of smoke and Andrew’s steady presence at his side calm him down. They silently stare at the pouring rain in front of them, and it reminds Neil of all the times they went to the roof together in the past years when one of them couldn’t sleep.

He doesn't know how long they've sat there but the shiver that runs through his whole body doesn’t go unnoticed by Andrew. “Fucking idiot,” he says to Neil. Then he grabs Neil’s hoodie and squeezes it almost as if to prove his point. The water that starts to drip on the porch only makes Andrew look at him more pissed. He then touches Neil’s hand with his own and Neil subconsciously turns his hand palm up in case Andrew wants to hold it but Andrew shoves his hand away. “Get in the shower now; if you get sick Kevin will make you regret it,” he says as he stands up.

Neil for once doesn’t complain and follows Andrew inside. He’s feeling too tired from the lack of sleep and the workout, and it’s only when he closes the door behind himself and the warm air from the house hits him that he realizes how cold he is. His body starts shivering uncontrollably from the temperature change and he curses while he discards his shoes. He goes to the bathroom and finds Andrew in there turning the shower on. Neil struggles a little to remove the damp hoodie clinging to his body, then he removes his t-shirt and another shiver runs through him.

“I don’t care if the water burns your skin,” Andrew starts and turns to look at Neil.”Just get in the shower.”

Neil rolls his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

Andrew stares at him with a blank face until Neil begins to move towards the shower to check the water temperature. Then Andrew seeming satisfied closes the door when he exits the bathroom. Neil takes off the rest of his clothes with some effort and enters the shower. The water burns his skin but after a few moments, his whole body starts to heat up so he stays under the jet with his eyes closed just allowing his muscles to relax. He then quickly washes and rinses off. He towels off and puts the towel around his waist and sits in the border of the tub.

He feels drained now that his body has calmed down. Neil pulls at his hair to let the pain wake him up. Two years ago around this time he was locked up with the Ravens, and the nightmare that woke him up tonight had felt too real. The single knock at the door brings him back to the present. “Come in,” he tells Andrew.

Andrew opens the door and closes it behind himself, he slowly walks towards Neil and passes him a pile of clothes.

“Thanks,” Neil says once he grabs them and looks down at the pile of clothes feeling the soft fabric of Andrew’s shirt. “For everything.”

Andrew inches closer and brings his hand to Neil’s chin to guide him to look him in the eye. “Shut up.”

A weak grin starts to form on his face. “When do I ever shut up?”

“I can make you.”

The empty threat makes Neil grin wider and he gets up, setting the pile of clothes on top of the closed laundry basket. He inches closer to Andrew and stops just an inch away from his mouth. “Yes, or--”

Andrew moves closer and kisses Neil for just a moment. Then he moves his mouth slightly away from Neil to be able to speak. “It’s four am; just come to bed,” he says, sounding tired.

Neil opens his eyes and this close up he can see the dark circles Andrew’s have underneath his eyes. It’s a rough time of year for both of them. Neil nods and watches Andrew exit the bathroom once again.

Minutes later, Neil quietly steps into the room and lies down next to Andrew. He turns his head to the side and studies the outline of Andrew’s face that’s visible in the moonlight coming from the window.

He brings a hand to Andrew’s hair and stops just shy from touching it. “Can I?”

“Yes.”

Neil moves his hand through his hair for a few moments. He inches closer to Andrew until his knees are touching and he can feel the soft breathing of Andrew on his face. He closes his eyes content for the closeness; he feels safe around Andrew and tries to will his body back to sleep. It’s when Neil is almost falling asleep that Andrew puts his own arm loosely around Neil’s waist bringing him just an inch closer. They fall asleep entangled in each other’s bodies and no nightmare bothers them the rest of the night.

 


End file.
